Coronavirus: USS Theodore Roosevelt Crew Member Dies

A sailor who was serving on board the coronavirus-infected USS Theodore Roosevelt has died of complications related to COVID-19, the US Navy has said.

The sailor tested positive for coronavirus on 30 March and was taken off the ship and put into "isolation housing" along with four other crew members in Guam. 

He was found unresponsive on 9 April and died on 13 April. 

The sailor was the US' first active-duty military member to die of coronavirus. His name has not yet been released.

It comes 11 days after the aircraft carrier’s captain was fired for raising his concerns that the Navy had not done enough to protect his crew from the virus. 

Admiral Mike Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations, said: “My deepest sympathy goes out to the family and we pledge our full support to the ship and crew as they continue their fight against the coronavirus.”

James McPherson, Acting Secretary of the Navy, said his "thoughts, prayers, and eternal gratitude" were with the sailor's family.

Over the weekend, four additional Roosevelt crew members were admitted to the hospital for monitoring of coronavirus symptoms, the Navy said.

All are in a stable condition, with none in intensive care or on ventilators.

As of Monday, at least 585 crew members on board the ship have tested positive for COVID-19. 

More than 4,000 crew members have been moved ashore in Guam in a bid to stop the spread of the virus. 

However, a number of personnel remain on board to attend to the ship’s nuclear reactors and other sensitive systems.

Much controversy has surrounded USS Theodore Roosevelt since its first positive COVID-19 case around three weeks ago.

On 2 April, Thomas Modly, who was Acting Navy Secretary at the time, fired the ship's captain after a letter he wrote calling for help on board the ship was leaked.

Mr Modly said Captain Brett Crozier had copied too many people into the email and that he should have gone directly to his immediate commanders.

Five days later, Mr Modly resigned after having flown to the ship and in a speech, said Capt Crozier was either "too naive or too stupid" to be in charge of the vessel. 

Mr Modly later apologised for his comments. 

Cover image: Library image of USS Theodore Roosevelt (Picture: US Department of Defense).